Page 60 of A Temporary Forever

Caleb

“Do you have any questions?” I tap my fingers on the dresser behind me as I lean against it.

I gave Mia a redacted version of my sudden marriage, because when push comes to shove, I don’t trust this girl not to rat us out to the immigration officers.

Sitting on her bed, with her back against the headboard, she drops an uneaten slice of pizza back into the box. “Is your wife okay with me being here?”

She doesn’t look at me, her gaze on her duvet as if the stitching pattern was the most fascinating thing in the world.

Explaining—really lying about—my marriage to Mia was the longest conversation we’d had since she showed up and told me who she was.

Celeste is right, my behavior around Mia is shameful. But Celeste saw Mia for thirty seconds. And I know the girl is hiding something.

Along with the fact that her mother doesn’t even want to see me… As sad as it is, I don’t trust this girl—who I should feel some connection to.

“Celeste doesn’t mind. Though sometimes I wonder if you want to be here.” I push off the dresser and walk to the door.

She rolls her eyes. “What’s not to like? You feed me, I have a comfortable bed here, and you don’t nag me about being on my phone twenty-four-seven. And your donations to my lifestyle are great.” She plops on to the cushions, narrowly avoiding the pizza box, and stares at the ceiling.

I don’t know what to say to that, but clearly she comes here for perks, not for bonding.

“Good night, Mia.”

“Night, Daddy,” she says, mocking me.

Fuck. My. Life.

Ever since this girl showed up at my office, everything has been spiraling. I question my work. My hate for my father has doubled. And I have no sense of purpose or action. It’s like I’m drowning in this shitload of doubt.

Doubting what I want to do. Doubting everything I grew up believing since it’s tainted by the man whosired me. Doubting Mia’s intentions.

Come to think of it, Celeste is the only thing in my life that makes me tick. That makes me feel like me, even when she drives me crazy. But even with Celeste, the seed of doubt around her motivations took root.

I make my way to my bedroom at the end of the hallway, stopping briefly at Celeste’s door. The vision of her sprawled in the armchair downstairsreadingbrings a smile to my face, and I raise my hand to knock, then freeze.

Crossing the threshold of her room would offset the delicate balance of our arrangement. She was right when she pointed out that a one-night stand isn’t an option for us.

With an unexpected jolt of regret, I drop my hand and retire to my room. Plopping into my bed, I turn on the TV and mindlessly click through the channels, while my mind circles through the mess my life currently is.

Maybe I should take Xander up on the offer to go clubbing. It might not put things into perspective, but it might help reset my brain, and stop the thoughts of Celeste.

Corm Quinn doesn’t want to budge on the additional five percent, and I might need to pull out of the negotiation.Failing.

Mia would rather watch paint dry than bond with me. And I have no idea how to be a father to her.

And then there’s my wife, who I don’t hate as much as I used to. Who is a welcome distraction from all the other shit. And who I still failed to fuck.

I turn on my phone’s screen. Great, I’ve been organizing my thoughts for almost an hour, and I’m nowhere close to resolving anything.

I swing my legs over and decide another whiskey might help me fall asleep. I go downstairs and enjoy two inches of the amber liquid while watching the city flickering below me.

The house is silent, but my mind remains focused on the two people upstairs. A graceful femme fatale who I would very much like to devour, and an aloof almost-teenager who I simultaneously wish I still didn’t know about, and hate that I didn’t for so long.

What a fucking twist of fate that these two are my family now. At least on paper.

When my mother joined my father in the vow to never speak to any of their children, I didn’t consider it a loss. But with Finn having a baby, and Saar being abroad most of the time, something was missing.

Not that I used to hang out with my parents much, but there was a sense of belonging to a family, an obligation to show up.

---